“I know dear, but both you and fluff have to be brave for us now okay?” Kim knelt beside the small blonde girl, her hair all in knots. A small stuffed rabbit worn from love in the cradle of her baggy space suit arms. “Can you do that for me?”
Kveta hesitated but then shook her head in agreement.
Kim Seokjin was a tall and pale boy, his face soft and outlined by jet black hair. He took Kveta’s hand opposite the one holding her bunny, Fluff, and began to walk along the ice shelf.
They made a big mistake. The number one rule Kim was taught as a child was if you get lost, stay where you are so people will find you when they begin to look. That wasn't the mistake though, no. No one was going to overlook them because no one was looking. The mistake was coming out to the end of the track in the first place. Kim felt at ease now that he had found the girl though.
He could see the Gremlin in the distance outside the old plexaglass windows. He was hoping they hadn’t wasted too much time. It seemed silly to try to calm down the little girl at a time like this, yet if she tried to run back half way to the car, their suits would disconnect an they both wouldn’t fare too well. Kim locked the air hose that led from his suit pack to the port on the base of her helmet. He tore the old duct tape he had found on a shelf and wrapped it over the loose joint. It really wasn’t a beautiful fix, but it was what he had.
There were dozens of old bunkers like this one littered across the old abandoned racetrack. They stood originally as either front row seats or simply pit stops if they were further out. This one was about as far as they go, right near the bend into the dark side of the moon. Fortunately regardless of where they were, all the bunkers were regulated automatically and entirely self sufficient. They would recycle oxygen and heat the small contained stone buildings, only losing air and heat to the two airlocks at either end of the rectangular building. The ones near to Minos had been overtaken by those without homes as a sort of shanty town, but no one ever came out this far. Except for a dad trying to show her little girl the stars away from the light pollution of the city.
Kim looked past Kveta out the back airlock. The telescope still stood on its tripod with the man laying next to it, his visor smashed in. Mistakes still happen on an airless wasteland, and if you trip and fall having a partner is always ideal. A ten year old girl doesn’t count however.
Kveta turned to look over her shoulder but he interrupted her movement by straightening her helmet back to face him.
“Okay I already have the door unlocked and all we have to do is hit the button and run out it.”
“I don’t think…”
“I am going to hold your hand, and I don’t want you to look back no matter what okay?”
Kims’ oxygen tank was still blaring a red LED onto the side of his cheek. They could breathe wonderfully in here, but he couldn’t refill the tanks he had left, and his car was just a speck on the horizon. He shouldn’t have traveled so far away from it for no reason, but he never expected to have to share the breaths he had left.
“What about Daddy?”
“I will come back for him I promise.”
Kim slammed the first airlock door button with the palm of his hand and folded down his visor, slotting it into place.
Tears began to run down the little girls face as she tried to nuzzle into the bunny with her oversized EVA gloves. She could barely hold onto the bunny in here let alone running on the other side of the airlock across rock and rubble. Kim grabbed another piece of duct tape and wrapped it around Fluffs and the girls left hand. She giggled for a second at the absurd sight and waved it around.
Kim Smiled. He hoped to the heavens that this would work.
Watching her play around with the affixed ball of tape and stuffed animal he took her right hand in his. Then he wrapped the end of the roll around their conjoined hands several times. The girl giggled some more at the ridiculous situation but Kim knew if she let go out there he might not be able to go back for her.
“Ready? It will be like jumping through a field of flowers.”
She giggled again.
Kim pushed her visor down and locked it, the loose foam inserts let it shift on her head. He pushed it back so she could see better. He stood and shuffled her ahead of him into the airlock. He didn’t close the inside door, he knew what was going to happen. He hoped it would help more than harm them. Running all that distance wasn’t going to work, but the vacuum of space could boost them a bit.
Her blue eyes looked up at him through the top of the helmet as he stared out into space. “I hope we get there.”
Pressure built behind Kim’s eyes as they threatened to well up with tears. He choked the feeling back before looking down to her. She wasn’t as naive as he thought, she knew this was a risk. He assume she wouldn’t have stayed in this shelter for two days without knowing the danger of going outside.
Kim pushed the emergency release latch to the side and ignored the red warning light that strobed above his head.He picked Kveta up and clutched her to him as hard as he could with both arms. He slammed his shoulder into the big red button on the outside door.
The pressure slammed into his body and pulled him off of his feet in an instant, sucking him out into space with a myriad of other objects from inside the bunker. The two were sent spiraling a hundred feet directly towards the horizon. Clutching onto Kveta, he could see the Gremlin parked another couple hundred feet out. His oxygen warning flashed wildly now as the tube connecting the two suits vibrated vigorously. A wrench from the bunkers debris slammed into his helmet and cracked the outer sun shield. Kim's head ricocheted off of the inside visor and his vision blacked for an instant.
They struck the ground with Kim's body taking the impact as he curled around the small girl in the oversized space suit. He struck the ground with his back and the force made him lose his grip. Kveta flung out of his arms as they tumbled, until they were at an arms length the duct tape grappling their hands together pulled them back. Kveta's arm came out of the sleeve and when she hit the back of her suit the weight pulled Kim's shoulder out of its socket.
They tumbled a few more feet until Kim got his legs under him. His shoulder screaming at him he used his other arm to grab a hold of the free falling girl. His left arm still attached to her in front of him, the low gravity at least let him carry her with one arm. Bounding along the surface, he pulled her up to him so her feet wouldn't catch along the rocky ground.
A solid red light lit his entire face. Oxygen went critical. He could hear Kveta begin to wheeze on the lack of air. He held his breath.
His boots drummed across the ground every few yards, bounding off with all the strength he had. His vision narrowed as his peripherals darkened.
They slammed into the side of the Grav Gremlin, the hulking beast of interwoven metal sheets denting with the force of their impact. Kim let out a gasp of held air. He clawed at the door and the cars signal lights all turned on flashing the warning that it would start the engine and the air compressor. Yanking open the metal door, it flung out wards and Kim tossed the child inside. She floated towards the passenger seat still attached to his arm. She was still now. Kim lunged himself in and slammed the door shut with his feet above the steering wheel.
The Car began to pressurize and the compressor pumped thrumming behind their heads in teh back of the seats.
Kim tore at his gloves and tore off the tape. he unlatched and chucked his helmet into the back and gasped for air. His head was tingling and his eyes kept drifting. He tore at thee girls haphazard suit. He carefully puled off the helmet.
She was still for a moment. She wriggled and her eyes opened, her mouth opened as if to gasp for air under the ocean.
“I know dear, but both you and fluff have to be brave for us now okay?” Kim knelt beside the small blonde girl, her hair all in knots. A small stuffed rabbit worn from love in the cradle of her baggy space suit arms. “Can you do that for me?”
Kveta hesitated but then shook her head in agreement.
Kim Seokjin was a tall and pale boy, his face soft and outlined by jet black hair. He took Kveta’s hand opposite the one holding her bunny, Fluff, and began to walk along the ice shelf.
They made a big mistake. The number one rule Kim was taught as a child was if you get lost, stay where you are so people will find you when they begin to look. That wasn't the mistake though, no. No one was going to overlook them because no one was looking. The mistake was coming out to the end of the track in the first place. Kim felt at ease now that he had found the girl though.
He could see the Gremlin in the distance outside the old plexaglass windows. He was hoping they hadn’t wasted too much time. It seemed silly to try to calm down the little girl at a time like this, yet if she tried to run back half way to the car, their suits would disconnect an they both wouldn’t fare too well. Kim locked the air hose that led from his suit pack to the port on the base of her helmet. He tore the old duct tape he had found on a shelf and wrapped it over the loose joint. It really wasn’t a beautiful fix, but it was what he had.
There were dozens of old bunkers like this one littered across the old abandoned racetrack. They stood originally as either front row seats or simply pit stops if they were further out. This one was about as far as they go, right near the bend into the dark side of the moon. Fortunately regardless of where they were, all the bunkers were regulated automatically and entirely self sufficient. They would recycle oxygen and heat the small contained stone buildings, only losing air and heat to the two airlocks at either end of the rectangular building. The ones near to Minos had been overtaken by those without homes as a sort of shanty town, but no one ever came out this far. Except for a dad trying to show her little girl the stars away from the light pollution of the city.
Kim looked past Kveta out the back airlock. The telescope still stood on its tripod with the man laying next to it, his visor smashed in. Mistakes still happen on an airless wasteland, and if you trip and fall having a partner is always ideal. A ten year old girl doesn’t count however.
Kveta turned to look over her shoulder but he interrupted her movement by straightening her helmet back to face him.
“Okay I already have the door unlocked and all we have to do is hit the button and run out it.”
“I don’t think…”
“I am going to hold your hand, and I don’t want you to look back no matter what okay?”
Kims’ oxygen tank was still blaring a red LED onto the side of his cheek. They could breathe wonderfully in here, but he couldn’t refill the tanks he had left, and his car was just a speck on the horizon. He shouldn’t have traveled so far away from it for no reason, but he never expected to have to share the breaths he had left.
“What about Daddy?”
“I will come back for him I promise.”
Kim slammed the first airlock door button with the palm of his hand and folded down his visor, slotting it into place.
Tears began to run down the little girls face as she tried to nuzzle into the bunny with her oversized EVA gloves. She could barely hold onto the bunny in here let alone running on the other side of the airlock across rock and rubble. Kim grabbed another piece of duct tape and wrapped it around Fluffs and the girls left hand. She giggled for a second at the absurd sight and waved it around.
Kim Smiled. He hoped to the heavens that this would work.
Watching her play around with the affixed ball of tape and stuffed animal he took her right hand in his. Then he wrapped the end of the roll around their conjoined hands several times. The girl giggled some more at the ridiculous situation but Kim knew if she let go out there he might not be able to go back for her.
“Ready? It will be like jumping through a field of flowers.”
She giggled again.
Kim pushed her visor down and locked it, the loose foam inserts let it shift on her head. He pushed it back so she could see better. He stood and shuffled her ahead of him into the airlock. He didn’t close the inside door, he knew what was going to happen. He hoped it would help more than harm them. Running all that distance wasn’t going to work, but the vacuum of space could boost them a bit.
Her blue eyes looked up at him through the top of the helmet as he stared out into space. “I hope we get there.”
Pressure built behind Kim’s eyes as they threatened to well up with tears. He choked the feeling back before looking down to her. She wasn’t as naive as he thought, she knew this was a risk. He assume she wouldn’t have stayed in this shelter for two days without knowing the danger of going outside.
Kim pushed the emergency release latch to the side and ignored the red warning light that strobed above his head.He picked Kveta up and clutched her to him as hard as he could with both arms. He slammed his shoulder into the big red button on the outside door.
The pressure slammed into his body and pulled him off of his feet in an instant, sucking him out into space with a myriad of other objects from inside the bunker. The two were sent spiraling a hundred feet directly towards the horizon. Clutching onto Kveta, he could see the Gremlin parked another couple hundred feet out. His oxygen warning flashed wildly now as the tube connecting the two suits vibrated vigorously. A wrench from the bunkers debris slammed into his helmet and cracked the outer sun shield. Kim's head ricocheted off of the inside visor and his vision blacked for an instant.
They struck the ground with Kim's body taking the impact as he curled around the small girl in the oversized space suit. He struck the ground with his back and the force made him lose his grip. Kveta flung out of his arms as they tumbled, until they were at an arms length the duct tape grappling their hands together pulled them back. Kveta's arm came out of the sleeve and when she hit the back of her suit the weight pulled Kim's shoulder out of its socket.
They tumbled a few more feet until Kim got his legs under him. His shoulder screaming at him he used his other arm to grab a hold of the free falling girl. His left arm still attached to her in front of him, the low gravity at least let him carry her with one arm. Bounding along the surface, he pulled her up to him so her feet wouldn't catch along the rocky ground.
A solid red light lit his entire face. Oxygen went critical. He could hear Kveta begin to wheeze on the lack of air. He held his breath.
His boots drummed across the ground every few yards, bounding off with all the strength he had. His vision narrowed as his peripherals darkened.
They slammed into the side of the Grav Gremlin, the hulking beast of interwoven metal sheets denting with the force of their impact. Kim let out a gasp of held air. He clawed at the door and the cars signal lights all turned on flashing the warning that it would start the engine and the air compressor. Yanking open the metal door, it flung out wards and Kim tossed the child inside. She floated towards the passenger seat still attached to his arm. She was still now. Kim lunged himself in and slammed the door shut with his feet above the steering wheel.
The Car began to pressurize and the compressor pumped thrumming behind their heads in teh back of the seats.
Kim tore at his gloves and tore off the tape. he unlatched and chucked his helmet into the back and gasped for air. His head was tingling and his eyes kept drifting. He tore at thee girls haphazard suit. He carefully puled off the helmet.
She was still for a moment. She wriggled and her eyes opened, her mouth opened as if to gasp for air under the ocean.
"Breath!"
She took a stuttering breath and began to cry.